Akin to Gone Girl, and perhaps The Girl on the Train, in the feel the book has. Certainly a great fit for thriller lovers.

I found it rather unbelievable at times - I don't understand the attraction of a sterile, automative house, or why someone would subject themselves to living by someone else's arbitrary rules.
But the narrative -wow, all the twists and turns!  Very disturbing and creepy, you find more and more out about the characters, nobody is exactly how they seem at first. I liked how each character was revealed, little by little.
Not sure whether I understand the ending, but it certainly kept me guessing through the whole book.

This book was just OK for me. I know I am in the minority, but I could not connect with any of the characters. I liked the first half of the book and then it sort of went downhill for me. I will say that I was a tad surprised to learn  who the true killer was. Thank you for the ARC.

This was a refreshing take on a mystery novel. Not one of those jaw-dropping stories which keep you on your toes but a smartly crafted story which kept getting interesting with every new chapter. This is a very well-written and thought out story with incredible depth to the characters and detail.

I'm glad I went in blind without even reading the blurb, totally paid off!

I thought this book had a perfect blend of suspense and creepiness without pushing too many boundaries. It was twisty and intriguing and I loved that my feelings about the characters changed as the book went on.

I think the author did a really great job at creating two distinct voices for the narration and I rather enjoyed the unraveling of one of those voices as the story progressed. I hadn't seen that level of crazy since the pages of Gone Girl. With that said I felt that the ending wasn't as developed as it could have been. It felt incredibly rushed after the slow burn and build up that we had experienced for the rest of the novel. I would definitely be interested in seeing what the author releases next, because I do think there is some great potential here.

I received this book through NetGalley but finished it in audio form. I love hearing audiobooks with accents, and this one was just as amazing. The story line was Intriguing, suspenseful, exciting and so much more. The characters were interesting to say the least, they left you on the edge of your seat. When you thought one idea of how the story was going to go the author sent you on a twist you don’t expect, I loved it.

This book was the definition of couldn't put it down but didn't love it very much. I was interested and curious, but I rolled my eyes often and disliked the characters. I think it will make a good movie. It wasn't what I expected based on the synopsis and it's hard to explain what it was about without spoiling. I read a review that said it was like The Girl on the Train mixed with 50 Shades of Grey, and I would agree (yes, seriously, obviously I love my romance books but I was not expecting that in this book, and it's not 'romance'). I wasn't crazy about the ending, personally, but overall I recommend this.

Thank you NetGalley, J.P. Delaney and the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Imagine yourself going through traumatic events in the home you're currently living in. It's time to move and start fresh, right? That's just what Emma did and then a couple years later, Jane. A house with low rent, but a lengthy set of rules, questions, interview with a very OCD landlord, etc. Sounds pretty good, right? You might want to think again. 

This book had me from page 1. I was pulled into the story and it wouldn't let me go. More twists and turns than a rollercoaster!

The book is told in 2 different voices (Emma's & Jane's). There are some questions before some of the chapters which I believe are taken from the questionaire which each tenant had to fill out. Loved those! it had me really thinking about how I would answer them.

 I felt sorry for each of the women and the traumatic experiences each went through both before moving into One Folgate Street, and afterwards. At first, I had a hard time believing how each woman could fall in love with Edward Monkford. As I got to know Emma's and Jane's personalities, I understood better. 

Loved the ending!

I found "The Girl Before" to be captivating with a unique spin on a classic psychological thriller plot. I was intrigued by the mysterious creator of One Folgate Street and the minimalist lifestyle he encouraged - but found it hard to believe that anyone would agree to the 200 rules that came with renting the house. Although I liked the aspect of jumping between 2 tenants' perspectives, I wish there was more character development and descriptive writing. I felt that I couldn't relate to the characters as much as I'd hoped, and found the situations they found themselves in to be very bizarre. Although the writing could be improved, the novel kept my interest and I enjoyed the twist at the end.

JP Delaney is a new author to me. I enjoyed the psychological suspense, and that the chapters alternated between past and present.

Cannot wait to see how the movie directed by Ron Howard turns out!  This book was definitely psychological! From the very picky architect who "screens" applicants to stay in his intricately-detailed home in London to the quirky applicants themselves who take the chance to live there, this book was quite a ride.  

Edward Monkford has specific (and I mean, specific) ideas for the tenants who reside in his pristine home, and only after the applicant meets the requirements is SHE allowed to stay.  At the beginning of the novel, I thought it was odd at first, but as I read on, the reasons why he has such high standards begins to unfold, and to say that the owner of the home is narcissistic is an understatement.  

The story jumps back and forth between Jane who lives in the home now, and Emma, who lived there before, hence the title.  Similarities begin to emerge in their personalities, and interactions between the owner and others who notice the women living in the home begin to shed light on what is really happening inside of the four walls.  I loved the suspense and the ending.  I was annoyed with Jane at some points, because her strength seems to get stripped away as the book moves forward, however it is essential to the plot line.  Some of it was predictable, but some of it wasn't, and to me, that makes for a fun read!  I would read from this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley, JP Delaney and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.  You can find my review at https://gracielynn.blog/2017/10/09/book-review-the-girl-before-by-jp-delaney/

Actual rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

There were a lot of mixed reviews on this book so I had some apprehension going in. In the end, I really enjoyed the book. It was different. Right from the start the story grabs your attention and it's fast paced so it went by quickly. However, I was a little disappointed with the ending. I look forward to watching the movie adaptation. With Ron Howard directing, how can it not be great?

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for supplying a copy of J.P. Delaney's "The Girl Before" in exchange for an honest review.

Had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. Loved it!

I think this is one of the many books that have come out trying to capture the feel and the audience of the book Gone Girl. There really should be a genre for "Gone Girl-Type" now. I didn't love this book. I did find it interesting to a certain point and hoped for above average but there were just some things about the plot that I did not like. I consider it an average read, though and would recommend it as a library read.

I received a free ARC fron Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

This story follows two women that chose to move to a unique and minimalist house with an excentric and controlling landlord with Peepi Tom like tendencies. Parts of this book reminded me of Fifty Shades of Grey because of the relationship between the women in the house and the landlord. 

When the most recent tenant, Jane moves in, she learns of her similarities to the previous tenant who died in an accident at the home.  Jane. Grins to figure out that things don't quite add up in their home and that she might be in danger as well. 

A quick engaging read that you will not want to put down!

The Girl Before left me reeling. Who is the stalker? It would almost seem evident, but that would be too perfect. Or would it? The two women are similar until they're nothing alike. The villain is obvious, until the answer is more opaque, and then as clear as mud.

The only real problem I had with it is pacing, I guess. It builds and builds and builds well, teasing readers as to a dramatic conclusion. And then it gets to the climax, the book is pretty much done. Very much a movie set-up; it's no wonder that the move rights for The Girl Before were swooped up, and a film directed by Ron Howard is in the works.

Psychological Thrillers are not normally my go to genre but Delaney did a great job helping us to live this story of Emma and Jane.

Read this book!

Let's start there because, well, you should read this book. If you like drama, suspense, thrillers, psychological stories, and a little romance... you should read this book. Like yesterday.

It's one of the rare ones that absolutely breaks the 5 star scale. I'd rate it higher if I could, so let's pretend that I did. If I were fan of psychological thrillers, 5 stars would do fine. But I'm not usually a fan of this genre. Some of the books I've tried in it get way too complicated.

And, much like the houses Edward Monkford designs in THE GIRL BEFORE, it is the stark simplicity of this story that makes it absolutely TERRIFYING.

Terrifying in a special, can't put it down, gonna give me nightmares but I'm okay with that sort of way.

Which is funny to type but... the truth can't be avoided.

I thought I had this book figured out. I thought I knew who was stalking who and who was killing who. There was a lot of stalking and killing going on too.

I didn't know ANYTHING.

And that made this book amazing.

I'd say more but... just read the book? Yeah. Good.

(I received a copy of THE GIRL BEFORE through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.)

First experience reading JP Delaney! Read this one on the plane coming home from Maui. Kept me mesmerized . . . and guessing as the tension built & the answers were finally Revealed after several plot twists I didn't see coming. Anxious to read more from this author.